Hi Daniil,
the Thyssen-Waas ice breaking bow design has proved it's efficiency in various tests that have shown performance savings of up to over 50 %, depending on ice thickness and speed.
There are two main improvements compared to the conventional ice breaking bow:
Since the shear strength of ice is significantly lower than its flexural strength it allows to break more easily along the laterally advancing shear fracture of a Thyssen-Waas bow than during bending fracture under a conventional icebreaker bow. The remaining bending breaks in front of the ship also require less force, as this acts over a longer lever. This reduces the demands on bow weight and engine power as well as fuel consumption.
The broken ice is pushed under the lateral ice as a whole and no fragments remain in the canal. This extends the time until the channel is frozen over again. At the same time, friction on the ice is significantly reduced, meaning that less engine power is required and fuel consumption is lower.
On the negative side, the seaworthiness in open waters is lower in comparison to conventional icebreakers. In particular there is a greater risk of slamming due to the shape of the bow.
In practice, it will depend on whether the ship can be used in the most suitable operational profile.
Brgds,
Stefan